evictions
Record rent increases, low wages are driving an eviction crisis, U.S. Senate panel told
WASHINGTON — Witnesses in a Tuesday hearing detailed to a U.S. Senate committee how investors and stagnant wages are driving an eviction and housing crisis across the U.S. The chair of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, said that families are being priced out of buying homes, and rising […]
‘Sitting on a time bomb’: Mobile home residents at risk in red-hot housing market
Jon Zang walks his dog several times a day in his mobile home community in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania. It’s quiet, as most of his neighbors are at work. But he often wonders how many more walks he and his bulldog mix, Ladybug, will have down the streets of the place he’s called home for […]
Evictions rise to pre-pandemic levels
Story originally published by Stateline, an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts. SPRING, Texas — Dionna Jackson, 40, sat on a long wooden bench nervously scrolling through old text messages on her phone while waiting for her eviction case to be called Monday. More than 87 people joined her in Harris County Judge Lincoln Goodwin’s […]
States, cities face deadline for proving how quickly they’ve helped renters in crisis
WASHINGTON — States, cities and counties that excelled at distributing emergency federal aid to renters struggling during the pandemic may soon be rewarded — with yet more cash. Their new funding would be drawn from sluggish states and localities that didn’t move as swiftly to help people facing eviction and homelessness, who were targeted for […]
D.C. Dems squabble over expired eviction moratorium. Ohio official says there never really was one
The liberal and moderate wings of the Democratic Party are at odds over President Joe Biden’s decision to allow an eviction moratorium to expire last weekend. The situation reportedly has become so tense, the factions looked headed for a split. By late Tuesday, Biden had announced an order for a continued moratorium in areas hardest […]
‘There was no concern for my life’: Families losing homes despite federal eviction moratorium
WASHINGTON — The national moratorium on evictions, as well as rental assistance programs, weren’t enough protection to keep Katrina Chism and her family in their suburban Atlanta home when money got tight. Chism was laid off twice during the COVID-19 pandemic, and when she fell behind on rent, she faced an initial eviction notice. She was […]
‘We all have to do better’: White House urges locals to boost eviction diversion programs
WASHINGTON — With a national moratorium on evictions set to expire at the end of next month and delays in federal assistance for struggling renters, the Biden administration says it wants to help state and local officials aid Americans on the brink of eviction. To that end, the administration on Wednesday highlighted efforts in Michigan and Philadelphia to […]
Just before Christmas, Columbus evictions proceed despite safety questions
It might be Christmas, but the cruelties of the coronavirus refuse to abate. In addition to all its other horrors, large numbers of central Ohioans are being ordered into an eviction court that appears to have little regard for the disease’s spread. A partial federal moratorium against putting people out of their homes will be […]
Extend eviction moratorium to slow covid spread, advocates say
Ohio’s local courts should stop eviction proceedings, a group that advocates for the poor said Tuesday. Not only are thousands of Ohioans going to be forced out of their homes in the dead of winter, the proceedings and the evictions will make the covid crisis worse, they say. The coronavirus pandemic has hit low-income Americans […]
Homelessness already a struggle, but curfew could add complications
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine emphasized the fact that a new curfew order seeking to stop the spread of COVID-19 would not be perfect. But advocates for the homeless say the order could complicate things for the unsheltered people without homes across the state. The order itself, signed by Ohio Department of Health director Stephanie McCloud […]
White House orders suspension of residential evictions
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced on Tuesday it would temporarily halt residential evictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin disclosed during a congressional hearing that the executive order would be issued. It runs through Dec. 31. “I think you’ll be quite pleased with the impact that it will have,” Mnuchin told […]
Ohio leaders must address poverty and homelessness for public health response to succeed
Rent was due on Tuesday and many Ohioans will be unable to pay because of a slowly unfolding recession that, according to the World Bank, may be the worst since World War II. Congress appears less and less likely to extend assistance to unemployed families while Gov. Mike DeWine has yet to prop up Ohio’s […]